Eyes Wide Shut
by peachi padwan
Summary: When two men compete for the heart of one woman, there can only be one victor. What lengths will a man go to in order to win the affections of the one he loves? What line will he cross? How does she decide? Eric or V?
1. Wandering Blind

**A/N: Now dear readers, here we have a tiny morsel for my dear friend Belmont-Bellamy. It's a little strange and wholly different but that's why I love it. This is set after Eveys incarceration (if you hadn't guessed!) It IS going to be continued…for a little while anyway.**

**As it is rated M you will realize it has many sexual references and has some foul language...yadder yadder yadder. So if you don't like it, no worries. It's simply a gift for a friend.**

**If you read please spare but a moment for a review, I do so love hearing what you have to say**

**Anyway onwards and Belmont...well enjoy!**

_Eyes Wide Shut_

Gazing into the mirror at her slick lips, Evey knew the colour was just too delicious; it was perfect in every sense of the word. She pursed her lips ever so slightly, savouring that fantastic freshly applied colour. Number twenty-one, Macaroon Addiction by Lancôme. It was so very hard to come by, like gold dust; but so damned amazing when she finally managed to procure it. She had not had some for a while now, over five months and she missed it terribly. She felt silly that something as simple as a lip-gloss could make her feel so much better about herself, but then everyone has a vice…so why not this?

This tube was brand new, only a few hours old. It was like she had been given the Holy Grail or the very elixir of life. Her heart missed a beat when she was told by her 'friend' that he could get her a tube. It had been gained by ill means of course, like so many things nowadays, but Evey had no part in its arrival to her so her heart strings went untugged.

She knew she wouldn't be eating for a week now; she had bartered all her ration coupons just to get that lip-gloss. She would be living off the half a bag of aging rice she had left in her cupboard until next Tuesday; a thought that did not overly appeal to her. But it was definitely worth it, for she now owned a glittering fraction of heaven; right here, on her eager lips and grasped in her thankful hands. And besides, a girl needs her little luxuries in life for if she has none…then what is there?

And of course there was another reason to own something as delectable as this.

_Him._

Sweeping the heart shaped wand over her lips once more, she envisaged the effect it would have upon Eric Finch. Evey knew how much he loved that colour, how it pleased him so and how he adored her even more when she wore it. A man of so few words, but when he liked something or saw an item that caught his eye, he always had a comment to make. She knew just how much he adored her wearing it, how of all her things this was his favourite. _Not light enough to be childish, yet not dark enough to be conservative…a lip-gloss with wantonness,_ he would whisper as he would kiss it slowly from her lips. She felt a warm feeling rise in the pit of her stomach as tender images of past romantic reunions darted into her mind. And she did not doubt for a second that this meeting would be any less.

Evey knew not why she was attracted to Eric Finch, he was so different to other men she had been with in her life. In her chaotic life her had offered her some form of stability, a rock to cling to when things became a little crazy. Eric was steady and unwavering, stable and secure. He was the earth to her water. Earth is so rooted and so constant in its existence; unmoving as the stars and as eternal as the mountains. This is how she viewed Eric.

She had not been attracted to him at first, especially not physically. He appealed to her only through personality. But as they happened upon each other with increased regularity, they began to converse. Then stolen conversations became conversations over tea. And the tea came under the formal guise of a date. And the date… well the date led to so much more. Until now she viewed him with affection and a strange type of love. Slow and secure, simmering and muted. They did not fuck or even have sex, they made love. Tenderly and caring.

She rose slowly from the seat at her dresser and pulled the zip of her dress up. Smoothing out the ruffles that had gathered in the material, she stepped carefully into her heels. She liked her heels; these were her good ones. Black, vintage, expensive and with a tiny bow, a gift from Eric naturally. They made her legs appear longer, leaner, and they looked fabulous with this dress. She spritzed her cleavage with perfume, musky and heavy; the tiny scented beads congregated on her exposed chest.

Casting a final glance at herself in the mirror, she was pleased with what she saw.

Placing her empty purse into her clutch bag, she ran her fingers thoughtfully through her hair. She was so delighted that it had finally grown back. Her long mahogany curls restored once more, where previously there had been a barren head. They tumbled lazily over her exposed shoulders and gathered at her collarbone. She observed her hair for just a moment, sparing a fleeting thought for the man who had taken it from her all those long months ago. Why was his hold over her still so strong? Even after all this time? A shadow cast over her mind as she thought of him and the atrocities he had committed against her. How he had hurt her so badly physically and how he had wounded her so deeply mentally. She once had a mind to care for him, maybe even _love_ him, but how does one love the very thing they now loathe? He had saved her from rape, only for him to rape her mind himself. That man, the man she cared for so much, had grown to adore, the man she had come to respect.

He was a magician of the false, an artist of deceit, a composer of siren songs…the father of lies.

She pushed all thoughts of him from her mind. This was to be a pleasant evening; it would not be sullied with notions of the past. She would not allow herself that luxury; she would not allow herself the luxury of thinking of him. As much as she wanted to…she could not.

She had places to go and someone to meet; time truly was marching on.

-----------------------------------------

"Eric…Eric? Eric are you here?" Evey whispered in the darkness, her chest heaving with anticipation. She huffed impatiently, imaging this to be Eric's bizarre attempt at romance.

She couldn't understand why he had called earlier to rearrange their meeting place; the cinema would have been fine. And why the devil had he picked a derelict restaurant? It was highly unlike him to rearrange, let alone favour a run down building. But then he had said a few weeks ago that he was going to be surprising her soon. She had debated for so long as to what the surprise was going to be. A thousand and one scenarios played out in her head but she could settle on not one. It was so out of character for him that she guessed this must be the surprise….but goodness knows what it was going to be. Evey had found her way in easily enough; she had followed Eric's instructions to the letter and wound up here, exited and slightly confused.

She wondered what she would see once Eric arrived. Would he have decorated the place with tiny faerie lights and stunning flowers? Candles and soft silks maybe? She had seen it done once on television and had even commented on it to Eric. Maybe he had paid attention and was surprising her now! Would she be festooned with gifts and such like? Had he taken the effort and time to truly romance her? Had their relationship got to such a magnitude? That had to be the reason, for why else would he ask her to get dressed up and come to this place?

All of a sudden she was jolted from her romantic thoughts as she felt a shudder travel down her spine. She swore she felt a breeze upon her face, as if someone had just walked in front of her. Panic washed over her in legions. It had to be Eric, it just had to be. How could there be anyone else here?

"Eric is that you?" She called out tentatively into nowhere, suddenly becoming far more aware than before. She spun around squinting, trying to make sense of the black.

The darkness stayed silent and offered no noise.

"Eric if you're there will you please show yourself? I'm getting tired of th……"

The muscles of Evey's stomach tightened in her abdomen in complete shock. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Her words failed to complete as the air from her lungs was forced from her in one violent and sudden gasp. He heart skipped a beat as she felt a firm arm wrap around her waist before it had even touched her. Frowning ever so slightly, she reached out to touch her waist, her fingers wandering blind, wondering if she had imagined it. She dared not touch. Not daring to move further, and barely able to form legible words, she choked.

"E…e..ric?"

After a brief pause she felt a nod against the back of her neck as a face pressed against her ever so slightly. A blast of warm air as her lover breathed low onto her exposed shoulders. The arm tightened at her waist, reassuring her that it had not been an imagination, that in fact the arm was very real. Relief washed over Evey as Eric's warmth comforted her in the darkness. She felt her knees almost buckle as she realised it was him and neither an imagination or a stranger.

"Oh Eri…" She began to simper, but a low and direct hush from behind her indicated for her to be silent.

Eveys eyes widened slightly at his bold dominance, at her being told what to do. A strange sensation never shown by Eric before, but she liked it. She liked the power he was beginning to display, it was so arousing. _Such an aphrodisiac_, she mused, _he has to do this more often._

Suddenly, she felt a cheek brush against the soft skin of her shoulder as he leaned down and pressed his lips there. Her body tingled. A faint moan escaped through his teeth like a wisp of smoke, his voice low so it was nearly a panthers purr. She felt the arm at her waist tighten even harder and the second hand reach up toward her throat. The bold hand brushed over her chest, sweeping fingers over her ready breasts then up to her collarbone. It lingered for a moment before instinctively venturing on to caress the warm skin of her throat. Evey felt herself being pulled closer to him, her body pressing against his own.

Then a kiss. Slight and simple. A deliberate application of flesh to flesh, packed with so much intimacy and feeling.

"Macaroon Addiction…I love it." Her lover hushed low in her ear as he tasted her lips.

Evey smiled deeply at the thought that he appreciated her lips so much more now. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back. Her eyes wide shut as she looked up into the darkness that was the supposedly the ceiling. The darkness that was the whole universe and everything else in it. She was breathless under the press of his mouth. The kiss commanded her full attention, her shoulders shivered as the mouth moved of its own accord upon her shoulder and her upper back. It felt amazing and delicious, sensual and dangerous for some reason. As the mouth moved she felt a slight vibration of sound upon her skin; too low to determine if it was a word or an involuntary noise. Then he bit her. Deliberate, concise and careful her bit her. Her eyes shot open in shock. A small gasp from Evey indicated the presence of pain and the hungry mouth withdrew kissing the spot of the bite, apologetic almost.

The arm at Eveys waist relaxed; she turned round slowly to face him but she was utterly unable to see him in the impossible darkness. She was desperate to look upon Eric's face, to kiss him thoroughly and reciprocate her feelings for him. Words of feelings began to form in her throat, but were stopped by a rough finger upon her lips, then a solid hush. Once again an indication of silence from her veiled lover.

The hand in the dark moved, the silencing finger shifted. His thumb brushed a line across her parted lips, whilst his fingers raised her chin slightly. He lifted his hand from her mouth and replaced with his own desperate lips. Evey made a sight sound against the press of his mouth as she was pulled into the kiss. The sound was sucked out of her with such an intensity it burned. It was as if the mouth had stolen the noise from her.

She was being kissed. Here in this darkened room. It was only a kiss.

But truly amazing and unlike any kiss she had ever received in her life. A dramatic melody of the sweetest contradictions. Sensual yet rough, desperate yet aloof, loving yet distant. Electricity was grabbing hold of Evey, shaking her and sending sparks coursing through her body. She was burning from the inside out. Her body ached from crown to toe, her very core trembled. The lips in the dark were white hot and consuming her right here. Evey tried to mumble against the kiss but she was stopped by yet another attack of passion from her lover. Wrapping her arms firmly around his back, she gave herself up to him.

A firm hand held her in the small of her back and pulled her closer to him, their groins connecting. A hand snaked its way up her back and into her hair; fingers wrapped around tendrils, gently pulling and tugging. She felt her head being teased backwards, being forced from the kiss. Unwillingly she released herself from that most delectable mouth and flung her head back. A moan escaped her as she arched herself back, her throat exposed to the flesh hungry mouth of her lover. She felt his lips crash down upon her neck. A thousand fiery reigning down on her delicate skin, each one sending a bolt of exquisite agony tearing through Eveys body. He nibbled and snapped at her throat, pinching her skin with his teeth affectionately.

Evey knew not what game Eric was playing but she was luxuriating in it. He was being so forth right; taking what he wanted and doing exactly as he pleased; Evey found him so incredibly attractive like this. His hands on her body, his mouth on her skin was almost too much for her to bear. His dominance over her, his command of her body, her silent obedience aroused her so much she thought she might implode. Instinctively she began to grind her hips against him, signalling exactly what she wanted from him. In an unexpected response, he moved his hand from her hair; it slid around her neck and tenderly down to her chest. Flexing out his fingers, he moved his curious hand to her breasts and kneaded them gently. It were as though he were touching her for the first time, as though he was drinking in every part of her like he had never seen her before. He toyed with her nipples, teasing them till they were pert and aching. Evey whined as she was touched in the dark, as she allowed herself to succumb to this sensation of elation in the pitch black.

She felt herself being pushed back. Inch by inch, her lover was forcing her backwards. With tiny laboured steps she moved with him, willingly being directed by him as he continued to press his hot and needy mouth down the side of her neck. A dance in the darkness.

A few steps back and she felt something behind her. Hard. Wooden, covered in cloth. A table.

Her lover made a low sound in the back of his throat as he gathered Evey to him. The sound he made was an indication to her. That little exclamation of joy, he was _also_ relishing this moment. Sliding his hands down her body, they eventually rested upon her derrière. He dug his fingers into her firm but soft skin, their contact marred by the presence of the material of Eveys dress. The table behind her pushed harder into her back as she felt the weight of her lover against her. With a gentle hop and the help of his hands, she placed herself upon the table, her legs straddling his thighs.

His mouth moved to meet her own now and kissed her deeply. His tongue daring to venture past her lips and courageously sought her own. It found hers and he stroked it gently as they kissed deeper. She was going to die. Here at the mercy of Eric Finch, she was going to die beneath his touch she was sure of it. She never thought it possible, not from Eric, but he was going to kill her with his intensity.

Her lovers intrepid hands were now at her breasts once more, peeling back the material of her dress that cloaked them. Tenderly lifting her chest from its feminine confines, her nipples flecked and hardened upon contact with the cool air. Lightly, he moved his mouth and planted upon her pert right nipple, sucking and coaxing it with his roving tongue. Evey threw her head back once more as she was engulfed in a sensation of unrivalled pleasure. Her shoulders ached as hot sparks tore through them from that feeling upon her breasts.

Her lover pressed himself closer to her, feeling her warmth radiate from her. Pushing ever so slightly with his thigh, Evey parted her legs and he placed himself between them firmly. He shifted himself and moved slowly, the bulge in his pants flexed against her thigh. She suddenly had a very clear idea of exactly what he was feeling at that time. Neither said a word, but words did not need to be said at that moment for they both knew what the other wanted.

With a sharp exhalation of breath, his hands trailed down to catch possessively at Eveys waist, his hard thumbs riding her hipbones. She wiggled against him seductively, kicking her legs out to rid herself of her underwear. She slowly teased her dress above her knees and towards her waist, revealing in the darkness her stockings. Evey brought her legs above his thighs, drawing him even closer to her; his longing for her unmistakable.

"Eri…" There was real longing in her voice; so much so she blushed as the words resonated in her ears.

Once again there came a low and dangerous hush, almost a perilous growl in the black.

Evey nodded in compliance. She choked slightly as she fumbled in the darkness with the fastening on his pants. It was awkward and complicated, but after a moment or two the fastening had come undone and she slowly slid his trousers down his legs. Her lover rocked against her momentarily, the last barrier between them obviously causing annoyance to him as he kissed her. Twisting her fingers round the band of his underwear, she eased them from him, down over his backside and let them drop unceremoniously to the floor.

Evey felt a soft puff of breath against her neck; an cry of want and longing. The feeling of the air upon her skin sent a surge of blood through her body, swelling in all the right places. Her lovers next movement was more direct, he shifted the angle of his hips; his hands catching underneath her thighs. Without the restraint of underwear, Evey could feel her lover fully, his hard length brushing up against her willing lips.

Then, with the slightest of pushes he slid into her.

A tiny exclamation of shock escaped her lips and her lover froze; his body tense to the touch. He hesitated for a moment as she adjusted to him, maybe he had hurt her? But when she exhaled again he knew she had accepted him and he was ensconced firmly within her. He was cloaked within her beautiful quim, warm and loving, needy and slick. Shifting himself once more, he pulled Evey closer to him, pushing deeper even still. Wrapping her legs tightly around him, he began to rock against her.

There was nothing rough about their love making; it was incredibly tender and gentle, more so now than ever before. He kissed her neck softly and took her lips with his own. He felt so amazingly close to her, and her to him. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together it was impossible to say where one began and the other ended. His movement could not be called thrusting, more of a pressure of his body against her own.

_God damn it this is good_, Eveys mind moaned as white spots of light danced behind her eyes.

He pulled out only to push back in again, but this time a little harder, a little deeper still. She moaned every time he moved, willing him further into her again. Her body was aching so deliciously it seemed too much to humanly bear. Evey whimpered and let slip a cry in the dark, a needy noise from her heart. Suddenly she could taste him. A rush to the head. She felt his mouth bearing down upon hers. His hot lips sucking and trailing across her own.

He was loving her. Here in the darkness he was giving her his love and he was taking hers. This was not sex. It was not simply fucking or shagging, it wasn't even love making. This was something else, something completely separate from them all.

She felt a building fire begin to rise in the very pit of her stomach. An ecclesiastical pain of epic proportions that clawed its way through her body. It felt like a fist of white hot sparks was being flung through her, and they were raging and burning within. With every movement he made, every shift he did the pain heightened. It was not a pain as such, but to describe it any other way would not explain the feeling it gave her. It consumed her and she was going to combust here and now, she would burn with pleasure of the feeling between her thighs.

Evey began to feel dizzy as a burning sensation raced from her abdomen to her head. She felt so much pleasure it was painful, unrivalled in form. The spasms of the greatest torture were engulfing her. Each time he pushed himself into her she gasped as the air from her lungs fled. She clung to her lover so tightly it hurt them both. Her lover moved more urgently now but with so much love and emotion; yet tinged with a desperation that was intensifying. Evey could feel his body tensing beneath her touch, his muscles contracting and tightening as he pushed harder and forced himself deeper. She could feel his thighs tense as he began to tremble ever so slightly. His grasp upon her constricted her even more. She could feel what was happening to him as it was happening to her also. Again the pain rose inside her in brutal waves, and then…the perfect explosion.

Her mouth was dry as she came and her body was almost shaking. Flinging her head back she was sure she had screamed but she heard no sound other than a smouldering groan. The pleasure coursing through her body at that point was so exquisite that worldly words could never describe it. It was something completely different to anything she had ever experienced. The sensation was made even sweeter as her lover came in time with her, spilling himself inside her. Their union was divine and utterly heavenly. Loving, affectionate, wonderful and adoring. She had never made love to a man the way she had done now.

Resting her head upon his chest, she placed a kiss above his heart. She felt her lover reciprocate and kiss the crown of her head. He squeezed her closer to him and he smiled deeply. They stayed together close to one another for what seemed an eternity.

"I love you Evey. Till the stars cease to shine I shall always love you." Her lover whispered, placing a Scarlet Carson beside his mask on the table.

"And I you, V my love…and I you." Evey beamed.


	2. The Jester & The Dodo

**(To read is to be as a mortal, but to review is to be as a deity. Spare a moment, a few carefully ****chosen words and be divine!)**

_Eyes Wide Shut_

"Come with me my pretty, for I shall provide you with such delights you never knew. With me you can enjoy all that you desire and all that you so _wrongly_ deny yourself…" Purred the jester with the painted face and harlequin shirt, as he danced before her with red ribbons. A pair of bright red lips with angels wings flew from his mouth and landed lightly upon Eveys cheek before vanishing in a puff of pink smoke.

The dodo cawed loudly in protestation and he flapped his dowdy wings furiously at the ridiculous dance. Stamping his webbed feet upon the ground in a frenzy of anger, his agitation became more and more evident. Then, opening his humongous beak he began to recite.

"_This is a thing you must not do; you know which path is right for you. The path offered by this bard is long, laborious and hard. You do not know what is your fate, if you should take him as your mate. Instead choose me my hard won bride, and we shall nestle side by side…." _

The dodo was rudely cut off mid song as the jester leapt in front of him in a vain attempt to distract Evey. He spun and turned lightly on his toes; graceful, elegant and aloof. He began to juggle with three colossal shiny diamonds he had slyly produced from his pocket. Tilting his head quizzically, he tossed the diamonds about expertly, enjoying capturing her attention for that moment. The highly offended dodo ruffled his dusty feathers and shook his head in a disgruntled manor. With his black beady eyes he observed the cad pirouette and spin.

"You enjoy my tricks that I can see…" The jester exclaimed, tossing the glittering diamonds about carefully. From their many depths and sides, the gleaming rocks watched Evey intently. The diamonds liked the fact that they were reflected in her wide open eyes.

"Well…I can show you _so_ many more of my talents, if you would only swear to be mine. And these…well these _can_ be yours my pretty, if you so wish." The jester said with a wink on nimble feet, offering one of the diamonds to Evey.

Stretching out her hand she leaned to take hold of the twinkling precious stone. But before she could touch it, the jester jerked and threw the diamonds high up into the night sky and laughed heartily. They stayed there; they did not fall back down, simply stuck in time forever. Timeless as the stars themselves.

Then the argument between dodo and jester continued.

"_You like your diamonds and pretty things, the necklaces and golden rings. Impressed by slights of hand may you be, but perhaps that is not all you see. You view this fool with the painted face, but he will lead to your fall from grace. The life he offers is not what it seems, as it can only exist within your dreams. I shall not tell you what to do, for you know which path is the one for you. I will say no more than this; choose carefully and do not miss…"_ The dodo hung his head ruefully and stepped back.

Evey was confused. Her head was beginning to ache. The faint rumblings of pain in the back of her skull indicating a full blown head ache was imminent.

"Miss? Don't miss _what_?" She asked tentatively, furrowing her brow as she tried to ignore the strutting jester by her side. He was beginning to irritate her now.

The dodo did not speak again. With a disappointed tut, he stepped back melting into the darkness and disappearing into the expansive void. An insignificant puff of gray smoke was all that was left after the dodo had exited the scene. It hung in the air for a moment, then dispersed.

"Thank the gods he has gone! I could bear no more of his sorry tales of woe." The jester exclaimed triumphantly as he threw his hands in the air with evident delight.

"Where has he gone?" Asked Evey, looking about for the dodo, but seeing nothing.

"Back, back to where he came from no less. He is a harbinger of gloom; he will pull you into his sorrow if he can. Tread carefully when in his presence, he will be the undoing of you. He is more dangerous than he appears…still waters run deep my pretty."

Evey quickly realised that it was probably a good thing that the dodo had disappeared; the war of lyrics and verbal skill may have trailed on for quite some time. However, she remained mindful of the dodo's pear shaped pearls of wisdom, and unsure of his depth. She was also wary of the jester's joviality, and suspicious of his painted smile.

Evey was distracted from her contemplations when she noticed the jester, holding out and offering his slippery hand to her. He began twitched and fidget about nervously, anticipating.

"But now we must flee my pretty one, for time is not on our side. You _must_ come with me now and we must leave this place befo…" The jester hesitated as he gazed at the girl before him. His eyes widened and became masked with a lacklustre grey haze.

"Before what?" But as soon as the words had left Eveys mouth, a shrill noise rang out. A piercing sound that penetrated to her very core. It reverberated around the expansive void, consuming the cavern of darkness. Evey instinctively covered her ears with her hands in a frantic attempt to block out the hideous screech. The pain it caused within her so intense it felt as if she might burst under its pressure.

"Before that my pretty! Come…quickly now…_we must leave_…you must come with me…please take my hand!" The jester cried in desperation, lunging at Evey with grasping hands. He seemed immune to the horrific sickening siren.

"NOW…WE MUST GO! WHY DO YOU HESITATE? COME WITH ME…HURRY!" The jester wailed louder.

But as Evey extended her hand to finally take hold of his, she felt herself being dragged away from him. Her fingers so close but a million miles apart from his own. The jesters figure was becoming distant and so very far away. In a haze of mist and utter confusion, she was leaving him, fading faster by the second. All the while, the shrill noise becoming even louder; almost unbearable.

Closing her eyes, Evey screamed and wished for the excruciating pain of the sound to end.

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Eveys whole body jolted violently as she crashed back from the dream world into an unforgiving reality.

Somewhere near to her, she could hear her phone ringing. Almost identical to the noise from her dream, the very same one the jester warned her of. _He wanted her to stay away from it, desperate, why?_ But she was too confused with eyes ladened with sleep to fully care.

Its shrill tone and infuriating decibels offending her delicate sleeping ears. She was still within the Sandman's treacherous grasp, but she was tugging herself away from him and his allure. Peeling open her eyes painfully, she found her vision obscure and hazy. She blinked several times and allowed her eyes to adjust to the brightly lit room she found herself in. The sun was streaming in through the slightly parted curtains. Another beautiful day in London. She would not allow her impending headache to ruin such a fine morning.

Instinctively extending her arm, Evey allowed her hand to slither from beneath the duvet and go in search of the troublesome telephone. She bumped her hand hard into the bedside table, she winced. She fumbled around for a few moments; the shrill ring of the telephone beckoning her closer and closer to its hidden location. Evey cursed herself as she heard the sound of smashing glass. Her water from the day before; spilled all over the floor, deadly shards of glass scattered ubiquitously.

Finally after seeming to search for what must have been an eternity and destroying many things in the process, Evey grasped the telephone receiver and slowly pulled it to her ear.

"Hello?" She croaked groggily.

"Good morning darling." The voice was chipper and jovial, yet smooth like velvet.

Evey smiled gawkily; she felt all silly and girly when he called sometimes. He gave her that giggly feeling occasionally, but not always. She recognised his voice immediately. This was a person she _wanted_ to speak to. Not a cawing dodo, nor a dancing jester, just a man: plain and simple, a man.

She pulled herself awkwardly into a promosition and rested herself upon the backboard of her bed. The cold air of the room rushed to greet her. Her nipples perked suddenly and a shiver ran down her spine. Pulling the duvet up around her chest, she revelled in the warmth of her bed. _Bloody typical weather_, she thought as she snuggled down deeper. It didn't appear as though the central heating had turned on; that was the third time in as many mornings that this had happened. She made a mental note to speak to George the handyman about it.

"Good morning Eric, and how are we today?"

"Fine, just fine thank you. How are you? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah great thanks. I was out for the count, I don't even think I stirred all night! Highly unlike me!"

"That's good, at least you got some rest, you probably needed it. So are you feeling any better today?"

Evey frowned ever so slightly, her smile dropping but a millimetre.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yesterday…you called the office and cancelled our date, you told me you weren't feeling well. You sounded appalling, your throat must have been really bad. Didn't sound like you at all."

Evey paused. She hesitated a moment as Eric's words hit her like a brick to the head.

"I called you? Yesterday…?"

"Yes Evey! Must have been about one o'clock." Eric paused in contemplation, then continued. "Yes it was as I was about to take my lunch break with Dominic. You called and said you felt really unwell. You said you were going to go home, run a hot bath and have an early night. I took the call myself Evey…you rang…I spoke to you. We talked for a few minutes then you had to dash."

"Oh yes…now I remember. Sorry, I've only just woken up, you know me! Yeah, I feel much better today thank you…loads better. I had a Lemsip, had a nice soak in the bath then had an early night. It was just what I needed!" Evey lied, trying to sound normal. She felt fine, she had done all night.

"Good. I did try calling you but there was no answer."

"No…I'm sorry…I hung up the receiver. I felt so lousy and sounded so miserable, I couldn't bear to inflict my dullsit tones on a poor unsuspecting caller!" Evey chuckled nervously. Eric laughed back.

"Well I have to admit, you sound a hell of a lot better today. Yesterday you sounded like death on the phone! I'm you're feeling better. Anyway, I called to see if you wanted to go to lunch with me this afternoon? Seen as though we didn't meet up yesterday, I thought it would be nice to meet up today. I have a few hours free this afternoon before my meeting…if you fancy it?"

"Sounds great, I'd love to Eric. And…you can treat me this time! Lunch on you!" Evey said coyly, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Yes…yes…I remember you cheeky little minx! Okay let's see, erm…how about two o'clock outside Nobu? In fact, no…just go in, get a table and open up a tab if I'm not there before you. Mine's a pint by the way!"

"Yes I know! Okay two at Nobu sounds brilliant, I've not been there before and I've always wanted to try it. So I'll see you there then?" Evey was trying to maintain a degree of normality in this most bizarre of conversations.

"Yes of course, I'll be there. Shit…look…I've got dash, some young idiot intern is shouting for me down the hall! So I'll see you at two darling. Bye."

The phone beeped as the receiver on the other end hung up. With a shaky and unsteady hand, Evey placed the phone back on her bedside table, almost dropping it in the process. Not quite able to comprehend what Eric had said, she stared straight at the wall of her bedroom. Her mind totally numb.

"_Yesterday…you called the office and cancelled our date; you told me you weren't feeling well…." _

The words reverberated around her head, looking for a way into her brain. Seeking a way to make her understand. Evey just could not believe it. Not at all. She knew that she had not cancelled their date; she turned up, _she_ went to meet him, exactly where he had told her to. _He_ had called _her_ to rearrange. The whole scenario made no sense as bits and dots flashed back into her mind. She desperately tried to piece together her evening with Eric, but was found seriously wanting.

Evey tossed her heavy duvet back and swung her legs over the side of her bed. The cold air of the apartment nipping at her ankles like vicious little imps. She shivered. Partly through could but mostly though worry and confusion. She started towards the bathroom; carefully picking her way amongst the no mans land of broken glass and spilled water. The sunlight fell upon the scattered beads of water and made them sparkle; they resembled tiny diamonds flung fecklessly upon the floor. Shaking her head, Evey tried to forget the image of the jester and his diamonds and tried to concentrate on the matter in hand.

--------------------------------------

Evey splashed her face with water several times. The cool water on her face helping to quell the burning sensation in her cheeks. It were as if they were on fire and they glowed a deep red. Not through the shame of lying to Eric, but through the shame of the total unknown. Placing her hands on the sink basin, she stared deeply at herself in the mirror. Studying her own face with bewildered eyes she sought answers but found none. Her lips, nor her cheeks, nor her skin permitted any clues as to what may have happened only a few hours before.

Her recollection was hazy, the evening a shambolic blur. Her brain was chaotic and muddled.

_Had I been drinking? It had to have been a lot if that is the case…_

_Had somebody slipped something into my drink? No no…impossible…._

_Am I going insane? Oh Evey Hammond…_

All these questions and more whirred around her mind as she struggled to lock properly onto to one idea. The very fact that she could not recall full what happened angered her intensely.

She remembered only fragments; shards of a memory imbedded in her brain, yet its counterpart lost somewhere else. She remembered getting dressed, spritzing herself with perfume and applying her favourite new lip-gloss Macaroon Addiction. She recollected walking to meet Eric in the freezing cold and thinking it was strange he should choose to meet here. She could not remember the building, the street name or indeed the time which she met him.

But she remembered a man. And kissing. Touching. Skin on skin. _And…oh god_

Her headache had decided to make a timely appearance. It burst into her head like a dramatic player onto a stage. Clutching at her forehead in pain, she gritted her teeth as the show began.

Evey stumbled from the bathroom and into the kitchen in search of her hand bag.

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_Nurofen, Nurofen…where's my god damn Nurofen? _Evey mumbled to herself as she rooted around in her bag. She cast her empty purse and keys unceremoniously onto the floor. Tissues, lip-gloss and chewing gum lay on the table next to the bag. The inanimate leather object was yielding no painkillers and was beginning to try Eveys patience. The headache was taking a well deserved interval, but she felt sure the climatic crescendo was coming soon.

Her hands were tired of searching and finding nothing.

Tipping the bag upside down in a temper, the remaining squatters tumbled onto the table, some bounced to the floor. Amongst them, her beloved Nurofen nestled beneath a hair brush. Breathing a sigh of relief, she greedily grasped at the packet. _A god send_. Popping the blister wrap, she popped two small white caplets into her mouth and swallowed roughly. She smiled, knowing she had put an end to the performance in her head and had undoubtedly deterred future painful 'players' from returning for a while. She began to feel a little better already, even if still exceedingly confused.

Stuffing her essentials back into the hand bag, Evey noticed something unusual on the floor by her foot. _Why hadn't I noticed that before_, her mind asked curiously. She abandoned the bag and bent down to pick it up.

It was a small card. Like a business card.

Black. Completely black.

Standing up once more, Evey fingered the card deftly.

It was warm and soft. The cotton content of the card was high indicating that it was probably very expensive and not a cheap rough material. Running a finger over it, she liked how it felt beneath her touch. Luxurious and mysterious.

Furrowing her brow slightly as to how she ascertained this item, she turned it over to inspect the other side.

Immediately, her eyes widened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. Her mind was suddenly bombarded with a thousand memories. The flood gates of remembering had been opened and she felt overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things she was remembering. The confusing unsolved jigsaw in her mind had been suddenly completed with this one tiny insignificant piece of card.

Her liquid eyes poured over what she now saw.

Beautiful calligraphy writing. Artistic, flowing. Accentuated curves and soft dips in the lettering. Exquisite and ancient. A gentle spiders crawl across the delicate material. Gold ink; rich, striking and salient upon the black card.

Her hand trembled ever so slightly as she read the words. She remembered now, o' how she remembered now. One particular, very bittersweet memory sprung directly into her mind and refused to budge. Her eyes scanned the letters. Etching the them into her brain and brandishing the sentence into her heart. They burned, almost as if they were setting the very card alight.

_I love you Evey. Till the stars cease to shine I shall always love you._

Suddenly the jester and the dodo seemed to have some relevance.


	3. A Finger In The Bath

**A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELMONT! **

**I have written this chapter especially to commemorate your special day. I've even thrown in a little bit about Dante, a favourite of yours I know!**

**Hope I've done you proud my muse! Enjoy…**

_Eyes Wide Shut_

Evey thought a bath may have just calmed her frayed nerves, stayed her troubled mind perhaps. She thought that basking in warm balmy lavender scented waters may have soothed her aching body and her tired brain, but it had done quite the opposite.

Her mind and her thoughts had gone into over drive.

--------------------

The water was painfully hot.

Far too warm for her to comfortably bear.

The burning liquid had engulfed her entire body and barely a patch of her remained dry. The water stung her skin violently and as it bit ferociously, it transformed the placid milky organ to a seething mass of burning bright red. The heat was almost too much to bear; the scalding water setting her body alight as she bathed in agony. She had swiftly transcended the initial pain of the intense burning and was now experiencing what could only be described as an immense prickly sensation that enveloped her whole body, like a billion tiny red hot needles tattooing her skin. She had known the water was too hot as she ran the bath. She knew the moment she dipped a delicately pedicured toe into the bath-tub that she would suffer the merciless attack of the high temperatures, but she slipped in any way. She was going to be boiled alive by a concoction of excessively hot H2O and very expensive Elizabeth Arden soothing lavender bubble bath.

But she cared not. This was her punishment.

Her renewed torture.

Her education.

She should not think of _him_, but she was powerless to stop herself.

As she wallowed in the acid like water, her thoughts cast themselves to the black business card she had found squatting uninvited in her bag. The offending item lay on the side of the bath-tub, perched precariously on the lip of the huge ceramic vessel as if it were about to plunge into the same searing fate as Evey. Her liquid eyes followed the contour of the accentuated curves of the archaic lettering. They poured greedily over the frail gold scrawl that projected itself against the opulent black card. She could see where the ink had splattered ever so slightly against the mysterious material; a fountain pen that had faltered against a tiny weave of prominent cotton, causing the rich gold ink to jerk from the cartridge and onto the card in a minute flick of pressure.

One would not have noticed this without extreme examination of the card itself.

And examined it she had.

Each golden shining letter had embossed itself onto her heart. Her retinas had been eternally branded with the taunting yet heart felt words. Her brain had become forever etched with the memory of the simple yet powerful sentence. The card destroyed her and all she thought she had ever worked towards.

--------------------

"_I love you Evey. Till the stars cease to shine I shall always love you."_

_-------------------- _

Yet as she envisaged her tattered future and imagining how she could possibly live a life Post-V, she could not help her thoughts drifting further and further towards_ him_; her tormentor, her torturer, her love. She found that being sat in a vat of boiling water reminded her terribly of him. And as sick and as twisted as she imagined that to be, she could not stop the thoughts of him invading her brain.

As she lay very still allowing the relentless heat to wash over in her over temperate drove, she contemplated him; she could not help it. She tried to think of Eric and her love for him. She desperately attempted to push thoughts of their romance to the fore front of her mind, but like a splinter in her brain…V was refusing to budge until he had had some of her time. He was demanding her empathy and she was going to have to surrender to his wants.

Her thoughts drifted to him and his immense suffering. She imagined his terrible experiences and cogitated upon the fact of his remembering them. She agreed that one does not forget what has happened in their past, but events become memories and memories have a tendency to fade with time; till they become little more than a ghost that occupies a corner of them mind. Was his suffering still as raw and fresh as the day it happened? Or had it faded and become but a wisp?

Evey closed her eyes and began to wonder if V could still feel the scorching heat upon his body. Whether or not he could still feel the searing kiss of the red flame upon his skin. Was looking at his gnarled and hideously scarred skin akin to putting a flame to himself all over again? Was gazing at himself naked in the mirror the same as revelling in a never ending inferno of red tongues and licking flames? Did he relive that fateful night in his stone prison as he closed his eyes to allow his body to rest?

Had his fire _actually_ ever been extinguished?

Or had he forgotten it all? Had it been so long ago that he could no longer recollect the sensation of warmth and heat upon his skin? Had he some how managed to push all memories of his horrific ordeal from his mind and move on from that pain? Did his fire die when the peeling scabs and the seeping pus had all disappeared from his body? Was he a phoenix?

But she knew he was not the burning bird of resurrection. She knew deep down that his fire still burned; brighter and hotter now than it ever had before and full of vengeful and horrific wishes. His fire had already engulfed Prothero, Lilliman, Surridge…Hammond.

_How many_, Evey pondered, _how many brave Achilles? _

Evey knew not what to believe in all honesty. She didn't know how many, when it would end, if his vendetta would last throughout the ages or indeed when he would finally leave her be. And she knew not what she saw him as any more.

Phoenix; _a beautiful bird that conquers the ashes?_

Jester; _the trickster with his shining diamonds and promises of happiness? _

Master of deceit; _a snake with a forked tongue from which spew forth hideous lies? _

Object of lust and so much longing; _that man that made her want to do and feel so much?_

Torturer;_ the one who broke her and stripped of all she had ever believed in?_

With her eyes still closed tight, Evey cleared her mind till there was nothing but black. No rich cards, nor sharpened knives, no shining diamonds or stomping dodos. No sweet Eric, nor frothy pints, no happy jokes or long wonderings. No expensive lipsticks, nor sensual candles, no burning fire or searing water. Her mind was devoid of everything and her screaming brain fell silent.

Then she imagined him.

From the pitch black of her deep and troubled mind, he emerged. Clouded and foggy at first as he clawed his way from the back of his mind to the very front. Then becoming as clear as crystal as he stood proudly in the very fore front of her thoughts.

She allowed the heavily bolted door of her fortified mind to afford him access to her safe haven. In her mind he stood before her. Clad in black with the painted face and false smile he stood before her. He was not an ideal, nor a bomb, nor a thought or a desire. He was simply a man and he stood before her with his arms outstretched. He stood out to her with a definitive clarity she had never known before.

With mixed emotions she glared at him. A heady cocktail of anger, frustration, fear, regret and lust rose in an impenetrable plume and confused her brain. She was failing to lock onto one single emotion as she imagined him in her mind. Why was she angry? What was the cause of her frustration? Why did she fear him? What did she regret? And why o why did she desire him? A flurry of chattering questions swirled about furiously, all demanding an answer. But she would not yield to them; this was her time alone in her own mind with her tormentor, her time was now devoted to him.

Her brain screamed for her mind to shut the fuck up.

With a finally quietening and offended mind she afforded her eyes to trail languidly over his unreal and hideously false face. Of course he wore the mask in her imagining as she knew not what he looked like beneath it, and she had no inclination to begin to imagine the notion either. So she began her tentative exploration of V.

Her burning brown orbs viewed the silent serenity of his porcelain features. She imagined to herself that still waters truly did run deep with him; harkening back to the dream she had experienced only hours ago. He was a bottomless ocean of secrets, pain and utter mystification. She knew she would never understand him, his vendetta and his ways. But then again, neither did she want to, for once a woman has stared into the mouth of hell…can she ever go back to how she used to be? Maybe the idea of not knowing was actually more appealing than the notion of knowing. And maybe she wasn't strong enough to be able to handle the full extent of V and his world.

Next she trailed her gaze into his eyes, those unfathomable black voids from which he watched her. Although they were fake, possibly painted or possibly mesh, she sensed great sadness and immense jealously contained within them. She knew the real eyes behind the false ones were deep pools of revenge and lamentations. Those eyes that had seen so many horrors, so many killings, so much pain and suffering. Could they ever sparkle with clarity once more? Or had the veil of evil made them misty them forever?

But she almost laughed at his false and forced smile. The very last expression she would have painted upon that face was a grin. Any other expression would have been perfect, but a smile seemed like a sick and twisted idea of an ironic joke. He smiled whilst he spitefully cut off your beautiful and prized hair. He smiled as he rammed a sharpened blade into your mushy face. He smiled as he cruelly broke your injured spirit. Yes…a smile was certainly not suitable for V's face. But what would she have in its stead? Evey knew not with what she would replaced the painted smile, and she did not want to imagine an emotion for him.

And besides, inside her head a war was beginning to wage.

--------------------

"_What's with all the questions?"_ Her brain asked her smarting mind.

"_Not a clue_…_you're the one asking them_." It answered curtly.

"_Shall we imagine something else?"_ The brain enquired.

"_No…I can't do…that you know I can't."_

"_We can try…"_Once more from the brain.

"_No."_ The minds answer was definite and final.

"_So we are to think of V for the rest of the evening then?"_

"_Yes."_

"_But what of Eric? He's worth a thought. We love Eric."_ The brain asked, taking Eric's corner.

"_No he isn't…and no we don't." _The mind was becoming agitated.

"_Now you're being ridiculous." _The brain hushed to a mardy sulk.

--------------------

Evey was clueless as to how this conundrum had arisen, but with the feud temporarily abated in her head and her eyes still closed in a strange form of relaxation, Evey continued to stare at the projected image of V in her head. She seemed to have forgotten the scalding water, the card and even her numerous and ever mounting worries; she had traded them in for some alone time with V.

And to be honest…it was just what she wanted.

Although she had mixed feeling for him, having him in her head was what she had wished for. It was true that she despised him. He had tortured her, beat her cruelly and abused her in unimaginable ways. He had torn to pieces everything she had ever believed in. He had shredded her hopes, destroyed her aspirations and mutilated her dreams. She hated him with a passion. But she knew he had failed to obliterate all her sense of feeling, for if she truly did not feel then how could she feel hate? Her 'feelings' towards him were one of complete odium, total detestation and unrivalled abhorrence. She imagined a place for him in the ninth ring of Dante's hell; inside the mouth of Satan, being chewed by the same nightmarish mouth as the ultimate traitor Judas Iscariot.

But could she banish such a man to such a cruel fate? To condemn him to have his head placed inside the very mouth of Lucifer himself, and for his back to be forever skinned by the claws of the Devil? She could not do it for as strongly as she reviled him…she loved him. No…she would not see him writhe for eternity in the ninth ring of hell. She would see him upon the ninth sphere, living his eternal afterlife with the most divine angels in the Primum Mobile. She would see him surpass the sought after Jupiter, over take the longed for Saturn and even pass right by the beautiful fixed stars. Primum Mobile…that is all she wished for him. She would have him know Empyrean, just to keep him happy.

And after all, one mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorist…and never was that saying truer than in the case of herself.

He was her terrorist and her freedom fighter.

And that is how it would remain for her.

Nothing would ever change that.

--------------------

The image of him inside her head seemed so real it was almost confusing.

It felt like he was with her and the imagination was some how about to come to life. Evey was struggling to distinguish the line between reality and fantasy. Was he here? Was he indeed with her, around her? She knew he wasn't but her mind really was trying its hardest to make her believe he was with her. She felt like she could reach out and touch him, he seemed so close to her. The soft porcelain curves of his face seemed to glow with a strangely soothing white light. His black bright eyes appeared to be alive, scoping her and drinking her in. His wine stained red lips seemed to move and speak to her silently with hollow words and pear shaped tones. His cloak sashayed deftly behind him and his imitation hair wrapped around his highly cloaked neck.

Never before had an imagining seemed so real to Evey, so very life like. It was almost as if the moist air in the room had taken the form of his leathery hands; gently and tenderly running loving fingers along her arm. The rising tendrils of doomed steam from the hot water had adopted a soft breath like quality; a delicate wisp of exhalation upon her peachy cheek. Evey felt her nipples perk with arousal as the envisaged breath on her cheek sent a chill down her spine. With the picture of him in her mind and the hot caress of the bath, she could quite happily imagine he was with her.

The heat from the water held her tightly in a warm and passionate embrace. The pangs of arousal tweaked a little more as she allowed herself to think that the temperate hug came from V and his strong arms. She felt her worries and hate seep away as she imagined that he was with her, touching and doing things to her. Arching her back ever so slightly, Evey leaned into the cocoon like clinch and began to wonder if she should let her hands wander a little. She knew she should not want to do such things when thinking about a man she hated, but when thinking about a man she loved…it seemed much more acceptable.

--------------------

"_I've been very good…"_ Said the brain.

"_I know you have."_ Answered the mind.

"_So…can I?"_

"_I don't see why not my love…"_ The mind replied with a smirk.

--------------------

She knew it was wrong, utterly inappropriate to do such a thing whilst thinking of such a man. She had already been unfaithful to Eric, unintentionally she presumed, but still unfaithful. Less than twenty-four hours ago she had been taken and had by another man, by _him_. She had relished being fucked by another man, having his kisses and attentions upon her. Having his mouth upon her breasts and having him deep inside her wet and eager quim and then filled with his seed. Surely it was wrong to want to have more of the same thing? She should not be touching herself at such a notion. She should be wailing and lamenting about her unforgivable act against the man she 'loved'…

But she could not help herself. She wanted to stop, did not want to do this…but her persuasive mind forced her to do it, and her body was more than willing. So willing it ached for it.

With a wry smile Evey brought her right hand up towards her throat and held it there for a moment. She dipped her head back as she willing gave herself up to the pleasure that would undoubtedly follow. She began to slowly caress and stroke her exposed, warm neck. The most sensual of all areas above the waist; _that_ was her spot. Designed to make her melt at the slightest touch. She dug her nails into her skin, enjoying the alternation between ever so slight pain and rising pleasure. After a few minutes of warming up, Evey slid her hand teasingly down over the gentle curve of her breasts, lingering a moment to encircle and tantalize her nipples. They were sufficiently teased and stood erect and full. She revelled in the touch and feel of her breasts, they amazed her and she loved nothing more than to savour a slight acquaintance with them every now and again. And now was the perfect opportunity.

But her building arousal could afford her little more time to enjoy more fondling, it desperately urged her to move in an altogether more southerly direction.

Sliding her flat palm over the plain of her washboard stomach, she suddenly felt the familiar rise of her downy Venus mound. Snaking her fingers over its softness tentatively, she afforded herself to be bold and press on further south. She was breathless with anticipation as her fingers grew ever closer to the sweetest spot imaginable. The pangs of arousal was becoming almost painful, a growling snarling animal in the pit of her stomach. Like a tight ball of pressure in her lower abdomen, the need to release rose. At first a dull ache, but gradually building to something much much stronger. Like receiving bolts of lightening, the base of her spine ached terribly, longing for release from the building pressure between her thighs. It was too much for her to bear; the yearning and desire over came her and took complete control.

Her slender fingers finally reached their goal in one sharp and fluid movement; the warm, slick and beautiful cleft between her legs. The probing fingers automatically found their desired spot and immediately began to work their magic upon it. Evey felt her clitoris swell as all the blood in her body was sent to that one tiny spot. Her body was engulfed in utter rapture and rhapsody, and it felt too good for it to ever end.

Her eyelids flickered as the unimaginable pleasure washed over her as she continued to picture V in her mind. The more she thought of him, the more vigorously her fingers worked for her. She relished in the alternation between stroking her clitoris and pushing slick fingers inside her. Both felt equally amazing and made her feel heavenly. She thrust ever so gently against herself as she ventured into her inviting and fleshy quim. Her body bucked and jerked as she returned to her eager cleft and began to tease it once more. She thought of having V between her thighs, having his roving tongue lapping at her intimacy furiously, devouring her and eating her just as she lay. Imagining him bringing her to orgasm was almost too much for her to cope with, she wished it were real. She wanted this pain and pleasure to never end, she wanted to go on for hours, but she knew she could not sustain this amount of enjoyment and that her perfect moment would end in a violent and sweet climax.

Arching her back even more, Evey felt the hunger of a developing orgasm devour her. The greedy sensation tore at her blazing flesh and ripped out chunks of her desire, but it only fuelled her further. In her mind she imagined V was now touching her, burying his nimble fingers into her slickness and working ever so hard to please her. Rubbing her fingers even firmer against herself, she urged the sensation building between her thighs to take over. She was practically begging for her release. Like a white hot fire it rose and burned and contorted in the very pit of her stomach. She was in pain, in utter agony, but her torture was that of the very sweetest kind.

Her furious fingers ached as they moved and worked faster and harder for her. Parting her legs slightly she dipped in and out of herself; touching and stroking, fondling and caressing. The bud between her thighs had swelled and it was throbbing; it was now causing her so much pain she could barely contain it any longer. Focussing all her attention upon it, Evey allowed the wave of pleasure to sweep over her. It rose from the tips of her toes and clawed its way up to between her legs. The pain was unimaginable and the pleasure so rapturous she thought she might die right here and now. She was ascending to heaven on a silky cloud of gossamer pleasure. She allowed herself to let slip a slight groan, a moan of delicious enjoyment, a supplication of sheer delectation. She was so close, balancing on the edge or the most amazing sensation known to woman kind.

Then finally her sweet release.

Her ferocity had not been in vain as she was rewarded with the most exquisite and indescribable orgasm a woman could ever experience. She moaned deeply in absolute ecstasy as a white hot bomb of unimaginable enjoyment imploded inside her. The blasts of spasmodic pleasure rippled through her entire body, draining her of all her energy. Sparkling spots of blinding light danced in front of her eyes as she felt herself begin to burn and blaze. Her groin tinged and throbbed as the most mind-blowing orgasm coursed through her shattered torso. Her whole body felt weightless and she felt light headed as she permitted herself to be subjected to this most delicious of pains.

It felt far too amazing to ever be described fully. No earthly words could ever portray the feeling that Evey had just experienced.

Panting and heaving for air, Evey finally relaxed her back and revelled in the tingling sensation between her legs. The white hot fire was now subsiding and was being replaced with an exquisite after glow she had never experienced before. Her entire body was luminous with the warmth of post-orgasm happiness.

Tired but more than satisfied, Evey peeled open her eyes and smiled.

_I'm definitely making more 'V and me time.'_ She chuckled to herself, raising an eyebrow.

--------------------

The bath was still hot but no where near as scalding as it had been when Evey got in. The bath had served its purpose; it had given her time to forget about Eric, the previous night and her 'infidelity'. It was definitely time to get out and return to the cruel real world of Eric, worries and V's absence. She had stewed long enough. And besides, she was hungry now and she felt a nice cold lamb sandwich and a glass of chilled white wine may well be in order.

Reaching over the side of the bath-tub for a fluffy towel, Evey batted the black card onto the floor accidentally. She dried her hands vigorously and picked the card up, replacing it on the side of the tub, not paying it much attention. She wrapped her sodden hair up into a tight white turban and piled it on top of her head sloppily. She took another towel and wrapped it around her dripping wet body, benefiting from its warmth as it had previously been festering upon the radiator. Evey bent down to pull the plug out of the bath, and as she did, she cast a fleeting glance to the card once more.

And what she saw, she did not believe.

She did a double take and gasped sharply at the sight that befell her eyes.

Exactly the same card as before. Black, beautiful and expensive.

The ink was still upon the card. Still gold and rich, still remarkable and spindly. Flowing _A_'s and dipped _Y_'s; the same splattering of gold fluid upon card. Ancient and calligraphic.

But the lettering and words had taken an all together different formation from before. An unknown configuration of vowels and constantans that she had not seen before.

Gently picking up the card as if it were lethal, Evey read the words aloud to make sure she was reading them right.

"_Enjoying your bath? I know I am…" _

Then, Evey almost dropped the card in shock as suddenly a voice came from behind her. A low and deadly snarl in the subdued lighting of the bathroom. A fatal purr from a lethal assassin. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and an icy blast whipped down her spine. Her body became riddled with the goose bumps of fear.

"Hello Evey." V growled.


	4. Decisions decisions

**His guys! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I updated this story. It isn't a lie to say that i have been incredibly busy of late. But I finally managed to find a spare afternoon to write another chapter of my favourite story.**

**As you many have gathered, this story is pretty off the wall anyway, but I think this chapter pushes that concept a little further. **

**So just to explain. This is going on **_**inside**_** Evey's head. She is not crazy, I have simply tried to capture the turmoil that a person goes through when faced with the totally unexpected. Bear with it and if you don't understand then….heh!**

**Yoda…an offering for you. Enjoy!**

_Eyes Wide Shut_

"_Why is he here…why is he here…WHY IS HE HERE?! What does he want with us? Why is he doing this to us? Why won't he leave us alone?! Why is…"_ The mind screamed wildly. Confused electrical impulses and seriously malfunctioning motor-neurons were causing the brain to panic and think irrationally and incoherently.

"_I have no idea why ask me? I've got about as much idea as you have my love. Why don't you ask him why he's here? That'd be a good place to start. You conjure up the words and I'll open the mouth…"_ The rational thinking brain answered.

"_I'm not asking him…I don't want to know what he has to say. I don't know if I can cope with his answers…"_ The mind wailed.

"_But we've been stood here for at least a minute and still nothing has come out of the mouth. Don't you think we should speak to him?" _

"_No…no we can't…we can't do that. Maybe…maybe if we…close the eyes he'll go away? Yes…yes do that and he'll disappear…just go ahead and close them…it'll work I'm sure…"_

The brain was less than impressed. Why was it sharing a skull with such an imbecile?

"_Ok, let's break this down slowly. Which one of us controls the emotions and the imagination? You or me?" _The brain asked in an agitated and overly condescending voice.

"_Me." _The mind stammered.

"_And what do I control?" _The brain asked again.

"_Bodily functions?" _

"_Correct. So if you control the imagination and you haven't conjured up the image of V stood before us, then that must mean that he really is stood there mustn't it? I can't imagine him being there, I can't control the emotions…that's your job. Did you create that image? Did you visualize him there? Is that the emotion you're feeling"_

"_No…no it isn't, and why would I do that? Why would I imagine him?" _The mind sounded more confused than it actually was.

"_I have no idea! So that must mean that the male in black stood before us __is real__. If you didn't create the image then he is real and waiting for me to send your words to the mouth in order that it might open and a conversation may begin. So basically…me closing the eyes won't make him go away will it? That will just make the body and the face look even more ridiculous than they already do. The body will just be stood with closed eyes with no words to speak, that is just stupid isn't it?!"_

"_You have a point…I think..." _The mind was slowly catching on

"_Finally." _Sighed the aching brain.

"_But…what do we say to him? I don't even know where to begin. My emotions are playing up, they're all over the place and I can't latch onto one long enough to form words let alone an adult conversation."_

"_Well what are you feeling right now? Which emotions are the strongest?"_

"_I don't know they're jumbled up, they don't make any sense!"_

"_Right then…tell me which ones are flying about right now. Surely you can see them, feel them?" _The brain was getting annoyed.

"_There are so many…anger…lust…hate…love…repugnance…I can't choose one! There's too many! I can't concentrate on any specific one! Please help me?"_

The pressure on the mind was obviously becoming too much and the brain was now running the risk of over loading it, which in turn would result in bodily signs of stress and nervousness; something the brain wished to avoid at all costs. A different, more tactile and helpful approach was needed with such a delicate and fragile mind.

_Alright…alright…just calm down. Let's think this one through rationally okay? I'll help you. We'll start with the first emotion you mentio…"_

"_But what about V? He's just stood there looking and waiting?" _The mind interjected. It was feeling a slight twang of pity for V, who was just stood silently awaiting a reply from the motionless body.

"_To hell with V…he can bloody well wait. He knows where the kettle is, he can make himself some tea or something."_

The mind agreed.

"_Okay so the first emotion…anger. Why are you angry at him? What made you say that?"_

The mind paused. Then it spoke.

"_I'm angry for everything he has done to me…to us. He's made me revel in utter hell for the past eight months, he screwed me up so badly! His empty words of love and devotion, vowels and constantans that he would never intentionally hurt the body…yet he tortured it. He beat it, burned it, whipped it, abused it so badly that you could barely heal it…"_

The brain flicked back to the past eight months. It was true what the mind was saying, it had had a very difficult time in repairing the flesh wounds and the lacerations the body sustained. It had worked so hard to mend and knit the skin that had been torn. The brain had toiled beyond belief to repair the muscles and its fibres that had been bruised and twisted beyond recognition. Its neurons, electrical signals and commands had worked day and night without rest to fix the damage that had been caused to the delicate bones, until all the cracks, breaks and fractures had vanished. And although it had done a damn good job, there were still scars in the skin that the brain couldn't fix, and probably would never be able to.

"_You know what he did to you don't you?" _The mind cried.

"_Yes of course, it's been hell…but he hurt you more…" _The brain answered soberly.

"_I know, I still live that torture every day. You might have mended the body, but I can't fix myself. I can't repair this mind, I can't forget what he did to me. There's barely an outward sign of what was done to the body, but inside is just black with anger and rage because of what he did. And all that anger I feel for him stays with me. No matter how hard I try to rid myself of it I just can't…I'm not strong enough." _The mind was becoming tearful; the brain worked extra hard to hold back the tears the mind was trying to create.

The brain wanted to move on quickly or the body would start to display signs of emotion. And since there wasn't one that the mind had decided upon, the brain coerced the mind into thinking of something else.

"_Alright, enough of that emotion. What was next? Wasn't it lust? Tell me why you feel that." _The brain ushered the mind along. It was amazing how quickly the mind was able to cut itself off from one emotion and shift to the next.

"_I don't know. I suppose that despite what he did to me and the body, he still has some fucked up hold over me. Every time I imagine him or see him in the flesh I can't help but desire him. I remember how he touched the skin all those months ago, and I recollect all the soft beautiful words he whispered into the ears in the darkness of the Gallery and I can't help but want him. The effect these small mercies had upon me was incredible and I can't forget it, I want to relive it all over again! I want the body to experience what I feel in the mind. I want it to feel what I feel and enjoy the delights I enjoy. I know I shouldn't and that since I hate him so much that I should concentrate on that, but I can't help the way the emotions just seems to take over…" _The mind rued wistfully.

"_That's all well and good but I can't help but remember what you just said a moment ago…hate I think it was?"_

"_I think that hate falls under the same heading as anger. I think I've explained my anger and I feel that encompassed the hate as well."_

"_But do you hate him? I mean truly hate him?" _The brain enquired.

"_Yes. With every bit of my being I hate him. I despise him more than anything I have experienced in my life. The level of repugnance and abhorrence I harbour will go unrivalled throughout our existence. I hate him for all he has done and all he hasn't done. I hate him for everything he promised to give us and for all the things he so wrongly took away. Seeing him before me makes me want to make the mouth scream at him and tear at his face…"_

Once again the emotions were flaring up, and when the mind truly put itself into thinking so strongly for or against something, there was nothing the brain could do to prevent the onslaught of the results. After all, the heart (or at least the emotions) rule the head; and this saying was never more true than in the case of Miss Evey Hammond. The brain desperately tried to keep the fraught mind calm.

"_So you hate him? That's what you feel the strongest?"_

"_You know my feelings of hate for him…but no…that's not the strongest. You probably know more about my emotions than I do right now!" _The mind tried to explain but was failing miserably to convince the brain.

"_No I don't. Seen as though you seem to be struggling to focus on one emotion out of so many, how do you expect me to follow you and act accordingly?" _The brain interjected.

"_I don't expect you to follow, but I do expect you to understand. You control the bodily functions, you send out rational orders and the entire body obeys. You are the sensible, fastidious, reasonable and judicious side of this whole matrix. I am the flighty, sentimental and passionate and untameable side that fortunately or unfortunately controls emotions, which means I am subject to being capricious and unpredictable." _The mind announced.

The brain felt as if it had been put in its place. The mind rarely flared up like that and it wasn't often that such words were uttered by an otherwise 'airy-fairy' organ. In any other circumstance an argument would have undoubtedly ensued between the two sides, but given the nature of the situation, the brain thought it prudent to move on fairly swiftly and end this debacle.

"_Okay…moving on. I think we've pretty much covered the main emotions now. Are any of them coming through more strongly than the others? Can you focus on one above the others?" _The brain asked with an air of disdain. It was being slightly childish and it knew it, but it didn't think it should care.

"_No...I told you…I'm truly struggling to latch on to one. I just don't what to feel any more. There are too many feelings and emotions to try to describe. I can't put into words what I want to say as I can't focus on an emotion long enough to form the necessary words! Having him stood there is killing me and is sending this poor mind into over drive. I'm going to break down soon if you don't help me decide what to do! If I don't figure it out soon you'll end up sending a scream to the mouth! Please…I'm begging you…help me!" _The mind had gotten all flustered again; that veneer that had been temporarily put in place had now been dropped again.

The brain paused momentarily. It didn't want to do this but it knew it would have to. If it didn't, this could turn out to be a very long wait whilst the erratic mind came to a decision on its emotions. Not to mention, an embarrassing outburst of emotions.

"_Okay I will help you, but just this once, you know I don't deal with things like this. It is your job to decide on the emotion and the words I make the mouth speak. I merely control the movement of the lips and muscles and the delivery of conversation, you decide on tone, the words and attitude." _

"_But you'll do it….for me…just this once?" _The mind was almost smiling.

"_Yes…but just this once. Don't blame me if this all goes wrong, you know I don't have an artistic flare for conversation like you do."_

"_Thank you so much…I promise I won't blame you!" _The mind was overjoyed that the burden had been temporarily taken off it.

"_Alright…here goes nothing…."_

The brain hesitated. It composed itself then decided upon the appropriate words.

_-----------------------------------------------_

After what seemed an eternity, Evey finally decided to speak. The motionless body remained as it had done for almost five and a half minutes, save the ocassional blink, or the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Soft and low and void of emotion, Evey had choosen her words carefully. They words echoed in V's ears and her simple offering left a nasty taste in his mouth.

"Hello V." She said.


End file.
